Improvement in refrigerator-buildings



28h --Sh t1. A. PFUND.- s f Improvement in Refrigerator-Buildings.

l N0. 130,311, Patented Aug.6, 1872.

Ill/VI I 1' I l' fv l Y K ll u' l I W ,g i In" ll M of my building riseone or more domes, N

UNITED STATES PATENT GEEIGE.

ANTHONY PFUND, OAF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPRovEmENT IN REFRlGERAToR-BUILDINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 130,311, dated August 6, 1872.

To all whom 'it may concern: Be it known that I, ANTHONY PFUND, of

the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Refrigerator-Buildings 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description' thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification,

' in which drawing- Figure l represents a longitudinal vertical section of my building, one-half of the drawing showing the air-dues close to the wall, and the other half the lues in the middle of the building, and the arrangement of the ice-chamber. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detached section of one of my combination air-fines with its damper, in a larger scale than the previous figure. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the same. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of one of my ventilating- I into one or the other of the compartments of the building.

` In the example shown by the drawing, the letter A designates a refrigerator-building, which is divided by a series of horizontal partitions or iioors, B C D E F, in a number of compartments, G H I J K L. From the roof 2 which are open at the bottom, and provided in their sides `with blinds or shutters aa', which are situated atdifferent heights from the roof. (See Fig. l.) The interior of each dome is divided by diagonal partitions b Qig. 5, in four sections, c c c' c', the sections c c communicating with the external atmosphere through the lower shutters a, and the sections e e' through the upper shutters a'. Bythis arrangement the compartment G immediately beneath the roof is ventilated, the cold external air passing down through the lower shutters a and sections c by its own gravity, while the warm air from the interior of the compartment escapes through the sections c' and the upper shutters a'. The compartment H forms the ice-chamber, which is surrounded by a double air-space, O P, the inner air-space O being separated from the outer air-space P by a non-conducting wall, d. The air-space P communicates with the upper compartment G by a series of air-dues, each of which is subdivided intwo flues, Q Q', one being somewhat lower than the other. These flues are provided with dampers at their tops, and the short ilues Q' are also provided with side apertures c, so that the cold air from the compartment G will descend into the air-space P, while the warm air from. this air-space rises through the flues Q, the draft of the air itself being in most cases sufiicient to keep the dampers on these lues open; or, if desired, these dampers, as well as those on the flues Q', may be opened, as shown in Fig. l of the drawing. The air-space P communicates, by means of a series of double flues, R R' S S', with the compartmentsJ and K, and the iiues S S' are provided with extensions T T', communicating with the lowest compartment L. All these flues are arranged in pairs, and the ues R' and S' in each pair terminate at the top at some distance beneath the flues It and S, respectively, so that the cold air from the air-space P will descend through the short iiues R' and S', while the warm air from the compartments J, K, and L rises through the long iiues R and S. The iiues S S' are somewhat wider than their extensions T T', and at their junction with said extensions are placed dampers j', while #ghe bottom ends of the extensions T T' can be opened orclosed by dampers g. By adjusting these dampers the ventilation in the compartments K and L can be regulated. The short flues R' and S' are also provided with apertures h in their sides, said apertures leading into the air-space P, and being situated at certain distances beneath the upper ends of said fines, so that the cold air which accumulates in the lower portion of the air-space P is enabled to ind access to the lues R' S', and through them to the compartments beneath. By means of the domes N with their system of sections and shutters, and by the iues Q Q' R It' S S', the temperature in the interior of the building can be readily brought down to the lowest temperature of the atmosphere existing during a certain period of time; for instance, if the telnperature during the night time comes down to 400, and the shutters a a' are opened the cold air descends into the building and replaces the warm air contained therein, and if the shutters a a' are closed as soon as the temperature of the external atmosphere rises much above the minimum temperature, the interior of the building is cooled ofi' and remains cool throughout the day, provided the walls are properly filled in with a non-conductor.

From these remarks it will be seen that as long as the temperature of the external air sinks down low enough for my purposes during any portion of the twenty-four hours of the day, I am enabled to keep the interior of my building cool without the aid of ice; but during the hot season, or whenever the temperature of the outside atmosphere does not sink down low enough for my purposes, I draw the cold air required for the ventilation of my buildin g from the ice-chamber H. The icechamber is surrounded by the air-spaces O P, which communicate with each other through apertures i, which can be opened or closed by suitable dampers. If these air-spaces are open the air which is conducted to the air-space P chiefly through the ues Q', and which is pure and as cool as it can be obtained from the eX- ternal atmosphere, passes from said air-space P into the air-space O, the inner side walls of which are made of metal, which is in direct contact with the ice in the ice-chamber. On reaching the space O, therefore, the air is cooled oil', and as it sinks down it discharges through the open bottom of said air-space, where it is brought in direct contact with the ice. By these means the ice-chamber is surrounded by a stratum of cold air and the ice is used to the best advantage. The ice rests on an open bottom, C, and the space U beneath the air-space P communicates with the ice-chamber through a grate, j, and it also communicates with the compartments J, K, and L by double lues St S', T* T'it, and R* R'it, (see Fig. 1,) these ues being constructed like rlues S S' R R', already described. The air which is cooled by direct contact with the ice passes down through the open bottom G into the compartment I, from which extend double flues V V' W W' X X' into the lower compartments J K L. The oor D, which separates the compartments J from the compartments I, is lled with some non-conducting material to prevent condensation of moisture on the under surface of this door, and this arrangement is of particular value if the compartment J is used as a fermenting-cellar. In this case the carbonic acid which rises from the fermenting-liquid must be carried off, and if said carbonic acid, which rises up while it is warm, should be permitted to come in contact with a cold surface in striking the partition or ceiling I), it would cool off and sink down immediately, and the compartment J would soon iill up with foul air, which, on account of its large specific gravity, would not be displaced by atmospheric air. The lues V V', W W', and X X', are by preference made round, (see Fig. 4,) and they are divided by partitions q in four sections, two of which are lower than the others. The cold air from the compartment I descends through the short sections V' W' X', and as it displaces the warm air in the compartments J K L this warm air rises through thehigh sections V, W, andX, whence it discharges into the compartment I, to be cooled and returned again to the compartments beneath. That portion of the air, however, which is very light escapes from the compartment I through the iues B into the air-space P, and is partially returned through the iiues R', partially carried into the inner air-space O, and partially allowed to escape through the lues Q into the compartment G. The double ues V V', W W', and X X' are protected on their top by hoods k, so that the drip-water discharging through the open bottom of the ice-chamber cannot pass down into said air-fines. On the bottom ends of the airilues V V' W W' X X' are placed dampers l, which are dishing, (see Fig. 3,) so that any moisture which may drip down from the fines will collect in them, and they are secured to guide-rods a, which move in suitable sockets in the partition-walls of the lues, and which connect by a rope or chain, o, with a weight, m. This weight overbalances the damper, and in the guide-rod are several holes to receive a stop-pin, by means of which the damper is adjusted in the desired position. From the compartment J rises a iiue, Z, up through the roof of the building, and its top end is divided off in two compartments, v QJ', which communicate with upper and lower shutters p p', respectively. By this arrangement a draft is produced in said flue, and the foul air from the compartment J can be carried out in the open atmosphere. The oor B, which forms the top ofthe icechamber H, is lled in with some non-conducting material, and in this floor is situated a series of iues, o', which communicate with escape-fines Q, so that the moist air which accumulates in the top of the ice-chamber is free to escape, and that no condensation takes place on the ceiling of the icechamber. A door, s, gives access to the icechamber, and by opening this door an increased quantity of air may be brought in contact with the ice. The inner wall of the air* space O is provided with apertures t, near the ceiling of the ice-chamber. These apertures form escapes for the moist or foul air which may find its way into said air-space, and this moist and foul air passes off through the flues r.

It will be noticed from this description that the effect of my refrigerator-building is based on the fact that the cold air, on account of its greater specific gravity, will displace the warm air, and that by these means an automatic ventilation can be produced in the interior of f ter advantage than it is if said chamber is shut oft' from all access to dry external air, as heretofore practiced.

The drip-water from the icechamber collects on the floor D, and the moist air contained in the apartmentI above this floor escapes through apertures u in inside flues w, through which it is carried into the air-spaces P and U.

When my refrigerator-building is used in breweries, where the compartment J forms the fermenting-cellar, the supply of pure atmospheric air is of particular advantage. The liquid requires, for its fermentation, a certain quantity of oxygen, which is supplied from the atmospheric air, and as long as the proper quantity of air is supplied andthe temperature in the fermenting-cellar is kept at the proper temperature the fermentation progresses regularly; but if the fermenting-cellar is allowed to lill with carbonio-acid and with nitrogen gas, (resulting from the atmospheric air deprived of its oxygem) the fer- -mentationwill be interrupted and tle liquid is spoiled. By my method of ventilation no such interruption can take place, and a perfect fermentation can be effected during the hot season aswell as during the cold season.

My system of ventilation is applicable not only to refrigerator-buildings, butalso to ordinary ice-boxes of any size, and it is obvious that the refrigerator-buildin gs can be made of any desirable material-wood, stone, or ironand the walls may be lled in with cement or any other suitable non-conducting material.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The ventilated dome, partitioned to form separate flues, which communicate with the building, and with shutters arranged at differ- 'ent heights inthe dome to produce air-currents, as and for the purposes specified.

2. In combination with the air-spaces surrounding the ice-chamber, the fines Q Q', for allowing the warm air to ascend and the cold air to descend, the cold air serving to displace the warm air, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the ilues Q Q', airspace P, and ilues R R' 'S S', with or without lues T T' J X J X, substantially as described, to allow the cold air to descend and to displace the hot air from the several chambers, and ventilatin g the chambers beneath the iceiioors.

4. The double air-space O P, surrounding the ice-chamber, in combination with one or more iiues, R R S S', constructed substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

5. The dishing dampers l, with their weights m and guide-rods r, in combination with the sectional ilues V V', W W', or X X', substantially as set forth.

ANTHONY PFUND.

Witnesses W. HAUTE, E. F. KAsrnNHUBER. 

